Enrique Recio y Gil

ENRIQUE RECIO y GIL (Madrid, 1855–after 1910).
"Mass at the Convent."
Oil on canvas.
Signed.
Measurements: 40 x 61 cm; 65 x 86 cm (frame).

He began his artistic career in 1874 at the School of Arts and Crafts in Madrid. He later enrolled at the Special School of Painting in Madrid (San Fernando), where he studied under masters such as Manuel Ojeda y Siles and Francisco Jover. Between 1874 and 1877, he honed his technique at the Prado Museum, producing copies—endorsed by the painter Francisco Calleja—of religious works and pieces by masters such as Mariano Fortuny.
Much of his mature body of work was created in the areas around Rome and Venice, where he painted landscapes and genre scenes with great attention to detail and luminosity.
He moved to Latin America after being appointed professor at the School of Fine Arts in Bogotá (Colombia), where he played a significant role in training new generations of painters.

His work explored genres that were very popular in the late 19th century, excelling in historical and literary themes (such as scenes based on Romeo and Juliet), the academic nude, and portraiture. His own prominence in the artistic circles of the time is reflected in the fact that the celebrated painter Joaquín Sorolla even painted his portrait.